Plan Ahead Lesson 10

Plan Ahead Lesson 10

Options After High School

Lesson 10

Options After High School

Teacher Resources

Resource / Description /
Teacher Resource 10.1 / Key: Academic Acronyms
Make It Local | Modify the list of acronyms to incorporate terms appropriate for your school or community.
Teacher Resource 10.2 / Interactive Presentation Notes and Instructions: Funding Your Education (includes separate PowerPoint file)
Make It Local | Modify two slides in the separate PowerPoint file that compare college costs for students.
Teacher Resource 10.3 / Answer Key: Funding Their Educations
Teacher Resource 10.4 / Assessment Criteria: Options After High School Worksheet
Teacher Resource 10.5 / Key Vocabulary: Options After High School
Teacher Resource 10.6 / Bibliography: Options After High School

Teacher Resource 10.1

Key: Academic Acronyms

Make It Local | Modify this document to incorporate acronyms that are appropriate for your community. Make sure that this document and Student Resource 10.1 include the same list of acronyms.

Use the following key to help students with their Academic Acronyms list and to facilitate class discussion.

ACRONYM / WHAT IT STANDS FOR / WHAT IT IS /
*CAHSEE / California High School Exit Examination / A test required by state law to graduate; 10th graders take it in the spring—those who do not pass may retake it in 11th and 12th grades.
*A-G / Seven different subject areas (a=Social Science, g=Electives, etc.) / Courses in seven different subject areas needed for graduation and for eligibility to the UC or CSU systems (if completed courses receive C grade or higher).
*GPA / Grade point average / An average of points for letter grades earned in a given semester (or cumulatively).
*AP / Advanced Placement / Refers to both college level courses offered to high school students and to the standardized subject tests offered each May for possible college credit.
PSAT / Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test / A practice SAT test given every October; students should take it in their junior year, and it is recommended that they take it in their sophomore year.
SAT / SAT Reasoning Test
(SAT comes from “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” the former name of this exam.) / Most colleges require the SAT Reasoning Test (or an equivalent test) for admission. This test has three 800-point sections: Math, Critical Reading, and Writing.
ACT / The ACT test
(ACT was originally an abbreviation of “American College Testing.”) / A college admissions test that measures students’ ability to complete college-level work in different subjects. The test covers English, math, reading, science, and writing (optional) and has 36 possible points.
*UC / University of California / The UC system is one of California’s public university systems; includes campuses in Berkeley, Davis, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and others.
*CSU / California State University / The CSU system is one of California’s public university systems; includes SFSU, Humboldt State, Sonoma State, Cal Poly, CSU East Bay, and others. Often referred to as “Cal State.”
CCSF / City College San Francisco / A two-year community college in San Francisco; in addition to academic courses, CCSF offers certificate programs in over 100 different career fields, including automotive repair, firefighting, fashion merchandising, multimedia studies, and vocational nursing, among others. Often referred to as “City.”
SFSU / San Francisco State University / A public university in San Francisco that is part of the CSU system; often referred to only as “State.”
A.A. / Associate of Arts, or Associate’s Degree / A two-year degree offered by many community colleges and career and technical schools.
Some students use the associate’s degree to transfer to four-year colleges or universities.
B.A. / Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor’s Degree / A degree offered by four-year colleges and universities—students receive their degree in specific subject areas or “majors.” If the major is in science, you can earn a B.S., or Bachelor of Science.
M.A. / Master of Arts, or Master’s Degree / A graduate degree offered by colleges and universities for one to two more years of course work after the bachelor’s degree. Other examples of master’s degrees include MFA (Master of Fine Arts) and M.S. (Master of Science).
Other examples of graduate degrees that require three to six years of graduate education beyond college include Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy, or doctorate), M.D. (Doctor of Medicine), J.D. (Juris Doctor, a law degree).
CHSPE / California High School Proficiency Examination / An early-exit exam for California students who are 16–18 years old and have enrolled in the 10th grade for two semesters or more. Equivalent to a high school diploma.
*GED / General Educational Development / A national high school equivalency exam that consists of five subject tests. It is not the equivalent of a high school diploma.

* Words that students have seen before in this course.

Teacher Resource 10.2

Interactive Presentation Notes and Instructions: Funding Your Education

Make It Local | Modify Slides 3 and 4 of the separate PowerPoint file to reflect college costs for students in your community.
These notes are based on the model version of the presentation. You may wish to modify these notes and update the interactive suggestions accordingly based on your adjustments to the presentation content.

1. Before you show this presentation, use the text accompanying each slide to develop presentation notes. Writing the notes yourself enables you to approach the subject matter in a way that is comfortable to you and engaging for your students. Note the ideas for fully engaging the students that are placed at key points in the “Notes” section.

2. Keep in mind that students will continue to work on Student Resource 10.3, Worksheet: Options After High School, during this presentation. Students will also work on Student Resource 10.5, Case Studies: Funding Their Educations, during this presentation.

How much does it cost to go to college? How do people pay for it?
This presentation will answer those questions and help you start thinking about what you can do to prepare to pay for your training or education after high school. / Presentation notes
Ask students: do you know of any ways that people pay for college? Some students may think that college is only possible for “rich kids” whose parents can pay their entire education. Other students may have a limited familiarity with loans or scholarships.
Reassure students that most college students today do not have their entire bill paid for by their parents and that there are many different ways to fund an education, especially if they start thinking and planning now.
You’ve probably heard people talk about how expensive college is, and how people can graduate from college owing thousands of dollars. That makes some people say, “I’ll never be able to go to college!” Don’t give up. College is expensive, but you have a lot of choices about how much you will spend.
Different colleges have different costs. Community colleges are the least expensive and are great for certificates or associate’s degrees. Plus you can transfer to a four-year college or university. State colleges and universities are more expensive than community colleges, but they offer bachelor’s degrees and graduate degrees. Private colleges and universities also offer bachelor’s and graduate degrees, but they are more expensive than state schools.
Your expenses will also change depending on where you live while you go to school. If you can live at home while you’re in college, your expenses will be a lot lower than if you live on campus. So if you want to limit your costs, you can go to a community college or nearby state university and continue to live at home while you study. You will be able to get your education, but at a much lower cost. / Presentation notes
These numbers are based on the costs for the 2011–2012 school year. These costs are for a California resident; if someone from outside California wants to attend a CSU or a UC, she will have to pay more money.
Tuition and fees are charged by the college to pay for your classes. Books and supplies include your textbooks and other supplies you will need to do your assignments. Room and board covers your living expenses—paying for a dorm room or on-campus apartment and purchasing a meal plan to eat in the school cafeteria or dining halls. Miscellaneous expenses can include transportation costs, entertainment, and in some cases, health insurance. Many college students continue to use their parents’ health insurance plans, but if you can’t do that, you may be able to purchase a plan from the college.
*This number is starred because most community colleges don’t have on-campus housing. / Presentation notes
Review the four expense categories on the slide (tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, miscellaneous). Ask students to think of examples of these same expenses from their current life. For example:
·  Students may pay additional fees for outside activities.
·  They may have to buy school supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.).
·  They may bring money to buy food in the cafeteria.
·  They may need money to pay for a bus pass or do fun things with their friends.
Point out that these are all relatively small expenses and that students’ parents may be helping with some or all of them. However, once they graduate from high school, they are adults. If they choose to move out of their parents’ home—whether they will live in a dorm or rent a place of their own—they will have to handle all these expenses on their own.
As you can see, your fees, tuition, books, and supplies all cost the same whether you live on campus or live at home. But your room and board costs are a lot lower. You may still want to buy an on-campus meal plan so that you can eat some of your meals on campus between classes, but you won’t be paying for the dorm room or apartment, and you can get a smaller meal plan.
Your miscellaneous costs go up when you live at home, because transportation costs are in the “miscellaneous” category. If you live at home, you will have to commute to school, which means you will need to pay for public transportation or gas if you drive a car. Obviously, your transportation costs will also depend on how close you live to your school. If you can ride your bike or take a short bus ride, your costs will be a lot lower than if you have to drive a car a long way.
Does college still look too expensive? Don’t panic—you can get help paying for your education. / Presentation notes
Ask students if they can name one nearby school that fits each of the four categories (community college, CSU, UC, and private college or university). Possible answers include:
·  CCSF
·  SFSU
·  Cal State East Bay
·  Sonoma State
·  UC Berkeley
·  UC Davis
·  Stanford
·  USF
·  St. Mary’s
Need-based financial aid is distributed to students with financial need.
When you apply to college, you and your family fill out a financial aid form. This form collects a lot of information about how much money your parents make, how much money you make, how many brothers and sisters you have, and so on. This information is used to determine how much need-based financial aid you qualify for.
Merit-based aid is given to students who work hard, get good grades, and are involved in their community. If you’re worried about how to pay for college, work hard in school, get the best grades you can, and do something to make a difference in your community. That will make you a strong candidate for merit-based financial aid. Keep in mind that you can qualify for both need-based and merit-based financial aid, and combining the two types may be your best bet for paying for college. / Presentation notes
Most, but not all, scholarships are merit-based. They may be offered by the school you attend or by private organizations or nonprofit groups. Scholarships are great because you do not have to pay the money back.
There are lots of different scholarships available. Some offer small amounts of money; some scholarships will pay for your entire college education. Getting a scholarship can be very competitive, so it’s a good idea to start researching scholarships early in your high school career. That way you know what you need to do to qualify. Your school counselors can help you find scholarships. You can also visit websites like http://www.fastweb.com.
Each scholarship has specific criteria you have to meet. You are usually required to have a minimum GPA, and you may also need to demonstrate athletic or artistic talent. Some scholarships are specifically designed for women or for people who represent certain ethnic groups. Others are designed for students who are the first person or first generation in their family to attend college. / Presentation notes
Ask students to name one specific detail about scholarships. Possible answers include:
·  Scholarships are usually merit-based.
·  You don’t have to pay a scholarship back.
·  Scholarships may be based on what you are going to study in college, on your grades, on your ethnic background, or other factors, like being the first in your family to go to college.
Then ask students: how do you get a scholarship? Answers should include the following steps: